BACKGROUND This study investigated the impact of addressing item writing flaws, testing at low cognitive level and non-functioning distractors (< 5 % selection frequency) in multiple-choice assessment in preclinical medical education. METHOD Multiple-choice questions with too high or too low difficulty (difficulty index < 0.4 or > 0.8) and insufficient discriminatory ability (point-biserial c...

The purposes of the study were to define the construct of novelty in the context of tourism, to conceptualize its role in the destination choice process, and to develop an instrument to measure novelty. The novelty construct was comprised of four interrelated but distinctive dimensions: thrill, change from routine, boredom alleviation, and surprise. A 21 item instrument was developed to measure...

With the recent boom in impact evaluations around the world, policymakers in many sectors now have at their disposal an overwhelming amount of evidence about “what works” or at least what worked in a particular context. Yet as impact evaluations have multiplied, it has become apparent that “the same” policy can have very different effects in different populations (Vivalt 2016). Similarly, polic...

BACKGROUND Commercially available activity monitors, such as the Fitbit, may encourage physical activity. However, the accuracy of the Fitbit in older adults remains unknown. This study aimed to determine (1) the criterion validity of Fitbit step counts compared to visual count and ActiGraph accelerometer step counts and (2) the accuracy of ActiGraph step counts compared to visual count in comm...

To date, fMRI research has been concerned primarily with evincing generic principles of brain function through averaging data from multiple subjects. Given rapid developments in both hardware and analysis tools, the field is now poised to study fMRI-derived measures in individual subjects, and to relate these to psychological traits or genetic variations. We discuss issues of validity, reliabil...

Trials can be described as being on a design spectrum between highly explanatory (roughly, ‘Can the intervention work?’) to highly pragmatic (‘Does the intervention work in routine care?’). A criticism levelled at trials that take a pragmatic approach is that they sacrifice internal validity for external validity, i.e. there is a trade-off to be made. Proponents of pragmatic trials argue that t...

UNLABELLED Validity and reliability relate to the interpretation of scores from psychometric instruments (eg, symptom scales, questionnaires, education tests, and observer ratings) used in clinical practice, research, education, and administration. Emerging paradigms replace prior distinctions of face, content, and criterion validity with the unitary concept "construct validity," the degree to ...

The aim of this study was to translate the Dula Dangerous Driving Index (DDDI) into Chinese and to verify its reliability and validity. A total of 246 drivers completed the Chinese version of the DDDI and the Driver Behavior Questionnaire (DBQ). Specific sociodemographic variables and traffic violations were also measured. A confirmatory factor analysis confirmed the internal structure of the D...